EASTERN OREGON
MINING ASSOCIATION
APRIL 2020
Volume 367
THE APRIL 3RD EASTERN OREGON MINING ASSOCIATION MEETING
HAS BEEN CANCELLED
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE-APRIL EOMA MEETING IS CANCELLED
The covid-19 virus has proven to be deadly, especially if a person is elderly, has a compromised immune system, or an underlying health issue. Unfortunately, many of the people who test positive for the virus, have mild or no symptoms, thus making it impossible for anyone to know who may or may not have the infectious virus without being tested. And even then, it is uncertain for how long a person who has tested positive, remains infectious. This makes it very difficult to have meetings or gatherings without the possibility of being infected with the virus. Therefore, for the safety of our members, the April 3rd meeting of the EOMA has been cancelled.
Hopefully, in the near future, some kind of successful treatment will be developed to lessen the impact of the virus, and eventually a vaccine may be formulated. The other hope is that warmer weather will minimize the number of people becoming infected, and the virus will not be as common in the general population as it is currently. We can still look forward to getting out in the hills looking for valuable mineral deposits.
I have read that copper is a good virus killer. Maybe we should all be looking for gold/copper deposits!
MSHA CLASSES ARE CANCELLED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
Due to the President’s Emergency Declaration and our Governor’s order, our April MSHA new miner and annual refresher training has been cancelled. For miners needing annual refresher training, MSHA has issued the following: “The Mine Safety and Health Administration will work with mine operators when it comes to the following recertifications:
Annual refresher training certification (30 CFR Part 46)
Surface and underground annual refresher training certification (30 CFR Part 48)
Certified person; sampling (30 CFR §§ 70/71/90.202)
Certified person; maintenance and calibration (30 CFR §§ 70/71/90.203)
Exemptions to recertifications will not be granted; however, their due dates will be extended by at least the time the government is operating under the President’s emergency declaration.
Please note: This exception does not apply to new miner training. New miners must be trained before beginning work. Once the Emergency Declaration is lifted, mine operators should work with their respective district offices to ensure that all certifications are conducted in a timely manner. For those of you who signed up for new miner training, we will just have to wait.
OPPORTUNITY TO BUY AN M7 WAVE TABLE
Bill and Sandy Johnson have donated an Action Mining M7 Micron Wave Table to EOMA. This table is in good shape, and would work for any operation, large or small. Action Mining sells tables similar to this one new for over $9,000. We will be selling the table to make money for EOMA. The money will go to support EOMA, and the estimated starting value is around $3,500.
I have recently bought one of these M7- wave table (1998 model) and this used table works great. I have been using mine for clean-up, since it will concentrate extremely fine gold that my Blue Bowl misses. The Wave Table can recover gold particles from 10 mesh down to microscopic. My table works well on 30 mesh material and I plan to screen to 100 mesh and see how that works. For a production setup, some miners use two to three or more of these tables in sequence. The unit we are selling has two adjustable water spray bars, and requires approximately 5-12 gpm of water. The adjustable table top and hopper are constructed of fiberglass, and this table was used inside their shop. The finish is vacuum-sealed and gel-coated in blue finish. The motor is a ½ HP electric motor drive, 110V AC, 60 Hz. It has a steel frame with yellow powder coated epoxy paint. The dimensions, (L x W x H) are 61 in. x 32 in. x 39 in. The weight is 409 lbs. EOMA members are getting a first shot at purchasing this table before we advertise it further. If interested call Ken or Jan Alexander at 541 446 3413, or e-mail to alxk@ortelco.net
COPPER’S COMEBACK COULD BE BENEFICIAL FOR MORE THAN JUST INTERIOR DESIGN
The humble doorknob has become a symbol of danger in recent weeks, as we’ve learned exactly how long viruses can live on surfaces—COVID-19 can survive for two to three days on stainless steel, according to unpublished studies. This discovery has also led to renewed interest in copper as a tool for combating nasties.
Copper and copper alloys like brass, bronze, and copper-nickel, have long been known to have health benefits—but did you know these metals are naturally antimicrobial? Some research has even gone so far as to show that copper kills certain viruses on contact. Meaning they can’t be transferred to the next person who touches that copper doorknob. (This type of contact transmission is thought to be one way the novel coronavirus is spreading so quickly.)"We’ve seen viruses just blow apart [on copper]," Bill Keevil, professor of environmental healthcare at the University of Southampton, told Fast Company this week. "They land on copper and it just degrades them."
Does this mean we should all immediately replace our hardware with on-trend brass? Well, not solely for medicinal purposes. According to the American Society for Microbiology, research has firmly established the antimicrobial properties of copper surfaces, and the EPA has registered almost 300 different copper surfaces as antimicrobial. Numerous viruses and bacteria experience contact killing upon exposure to copper and copper alloy surface studies show, including MRSA, Staph, Influenza A and E-Coli. However, the length of time it takes to be effective varies significantly, from 30 seconds to many hours. So, it’s not something you can rely on to keep your home germ-free.
Where it would be best deployed, according to Keevil, is in hospitals and medical facilities. His research follows up on work done by Dr. Phyllis J. Kuhn in the 1980s.
And even when tarnished, brass—an alloy typically of 67% copper and 33% zinc—is bactericidal, while stainless steel—about 88% iron and 12% chromium—does little to impede bacterial growth." Soft, antique brass and rustic, rugged copper are durable, versatile, and beautiful materials. But these metals could make the biggest difference (and potentially help prevent future pandemics) if we incorporated them into our hospitals and nursing homes.
EOMA ELECTION RESULTS
The March election resulted in a tie for Craig Monpas and Dan Brown for the board directors. It was decided to add another position to the directors as well as the position already added by adding Ed Hardt as an honorary member. So now there are 8 directors for each election, making a total of 17 directors.
The Officers remained the same for next year.
2020-2022 Board of Directors
Scott Guthrie Becky Guthrie Keith Magnuson Tork Ballard
Craig Monpas Dan Brown Jim Haney Ed Baldwin
Ed Hardt Honorary Board member
DOGAMI PERMIT FEES DID NOT GO UP-Jan Alexander
As I reported in the last newsletter, DOGAMI has been struggling financially these last few years, since apparently some of the fees paid by miners for mining permits were used to fund the environmental side of DOGAMI (i.e. earth quake and tsunami studies and mapping).
However, the increase in fees, from $1750 to $2000 did not get passed during the short legislative season that just finished.
I am working on completion of one amendment to a DOGAMI permit, and will be submitting another amendment for another company. DOGAMI personnel are working from home, so I am not sure how permitting will go from here. Federal and State offices are closed to the public, with only a few people in the offices and most working from home.
WHAT IS THE GOLD SPOT PRICE? -APMEX
The spot price of Gold is the current price that a raw ounce of Gold can be bought and sold for immediate delivery. The spot price fluctuates constantly, making it important to keep up to date on performance indicators such as current events and market conditions, as they affect the buying and selling of Precious Metals. The price for any Gold product is the spot price plus a premium, which is added by all dealers to cover their overhead.
The Gold price is usually quoted in troy ounces but can easily be converted into grams or kilos, depending on the quantity you want to buy or sell.
No matter where you are in the world, the spot Gold price now is the same at any given moment. Gold is traded in U.S. dollars so the price per ounce of Gold is simply converted to the local currency to reflect one troy ounce of Gold price.
OREGON WATER REGULATORS EXCEEDED AUTHORITY-Mateeusz Perkowski
A judge has ruled Oregon’s water regulators exceeded their authority by shutting off wells within 500 feet of waterways in the Upper Klamath Basin last year. Marion County Circuit Judge Claudia Burton has also ruled the Oregon Water Resources Department violated the due process rights of irrigators Troy and Tracy Brooks, who filed a lawsuit opposing the agency’s enforcement action.
“They basically came up with these rules and gave nobody due process,” said Dominic Carollo, attorney for the plaintiffs. It’s likely the ruling will set a precedent preventing OWRD from taking the same approach to stop groundwater pumping — not only in the Upper Klamath Basin, but elsewhere in Oregon where the agency alleges wells are interfering with surface waters, he said. “This decision suggests the department can’t do that,” Carollo said. “They can’t start shutting down wells without going through the process.”
Racquel Rancier, OWRD’s senior policy coordinator, said the agency will not be enforcing its rule allowing wells within 500 feet of a waterway to be regulated off at the request of a senior water rights holder. That regulation is set to expire next year, before the Oregon Court of Appeals would likely hear a challenge to the judge’s ruling, she said. Instead, OWRD plans to take another regulatory tack in the region. “This ruling suggests to the department that a critical groundwater designation is necessary in order to manage groundwater for senior surface water rights within the Klamath Basin,” Rancier said in an email, adding that the agency does yet not have a schedule for this action.
The controversy relates to the agency’s finding in 2013 that Klamath Tribes hold the oldest “time immemorial” water rights in the area, which allows them to request water be shut off to junior irrigators. In 2018, OWRD established a rule that wells within one mile of a waterway in the Upper Klamath Basin will substantially interfere with surface waters and thus can be regulated off at the tribes’ request. That regulation was scaled back last year to wells within 500 feet of a waterway, which reduced the number of affected wells from 140 to 7, including one owned by the plaintiffs. The judge has now agreed with the plaintiffs’ argument that Oregon’s water law doesn’t allow for such a restriction without OWRD going through the formal process of establishing a critical groundwater area. In that process, the plaintiffs would be provided with a contested case hearing during which they could challenge the OWRD’s determination.
EOMA SILVER MEDALLIONS FOR SALE
As most of you know, EOMA did not mint 2019 medallions, nor will we mint 2020 medallions. However, we still have 2018 medallions available, as well as some medallions from previous years. They are currently selling for $50.00 apiece plus $5.00 shipping, handling, and insurance. (Prices are subject to change).
You can order your medallion from the EOMA website and pay by pay-pal. Or, you can send $50 plus $5.00 shipping and handling to EOMA, Medallions, PO Box 932, Baker City, OR 97814, or call 541-523-3285. Also, you can buy them at our EOMA meetings when we can have them again.
EOMA ADVERTISING AND SALE LISTINGS
WANTED-GOLD
Gold Specimens and Gold nuggets, mostly from Oregon mines. Fair prices paid. Also selling Gold nugget jewelry, specimens, nuggets and more. For an interesting and informative experience explore www.northernnevadagold.com. Call Robert 775-455-6470.
WANTED-MINE RAIL
Wanted 40 to 60 feet of narrow gage mine rail (8 lb. preferred) with connectors. Various lengths are needed; used, and rusty are fine as long as it is straight!
Contact Frank at 724-840-2179 or flotito1@verizon.net.
GOLDEN ANGEL PLACER CLAIMS FOR SALE
Located on Pine Creek, adjacent to the High Bar (Gold Rush) claims, the four 20 acre Golden Angels have an approved Plan of Operation in place. Good County road access, water for processing, WPCF permit goes with the sale. For information, call John at 541-620-1177.
FOR SALE
Ed Hardt is selling his placer mining equipment. Ed's trommel is 20 feet long, 5 feet in diameter, gear driven, positive drive. It will process up to 100 yards a day, will not slip or spin out. Also, one three-inch pump, a two-inch pump, two and three inch flat hose, and a generator. Call 541-377-9209 or email Ed at twohardts@hotmail.com. Price for all is $15,000.
GOLD CLAIMS FOR SALE (3)
6 unpatented placer claims (180 acres) located on Elk Creek near Baker City.
Sale includes all equipment (2 excavators, dump truck, trommel, pumps, generators, etc).
Site was featured on the cover of ICMJ’s Prospecting and Mining Journal (August 2014).
Approved Plan of Operation with US Forest Service in place and can be transferred (expires 2021). DEQ process permit goes with the sale of the claims. For price, pictures and details, call Don Enright, 509-860-1145 or email: donaldenright25@gmail.com
NATIVE SPIRIT 60 ACRE CLAIM FOR SALE
This claim is located on McCully Creek on the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest just west of the town of Sumpter. Good access, off-channel water is available for processing. DEQ process permit goes with the sale of the claim. Plan of Operation is scheduled to be approved for 2020 work. Call Charles Stewart at 541-910-5435 for more information.
BLUE SKY PLACER MINE $7,500
Three mining claims, two on Bull Run Creek, and one on Swamp Creek, a tributary of Bull Run Creek. The mine has a Plan of Operation and is set up for a trommel and backhoe operation. Can assume the plan and the $1,400 Bond. Six off channel ponds. Number six pond is the fresh water pond and number five you can discharge into. Can pan gold out of the tailings. Quite a bit of testing done and assay work; has all of the 17 Rare Earth Minerals. Call (541-310-8510)
SUE PLACER FOR SALE-$12,000
The Sue is located on the North Fork Burnt River, which is open for suction dredging, and is accessed by a good county road. The North Fork has a long dredging season-July 1-October 31 each year. I am selling the 20-acre Sue claim, along with two dredges (a 4” and a 6”), two trailers for them and accessories, two wet suits with weight belts, one repair kit and a few other items. There is also an approved Plan of Operation with the Forest Service for using a trommel and mechanized equipment beside the river. The equipment alone is worth over what you will be paying for the total package, it's like getting the claim for free. For information call Stan Baker 541-938-8353 HM 509-386-7465 CELL swbrockett@msn.com.
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ACTION MINING SERVICES, INC.
AMS is selling out all assay supplies, screens, chemicals and labware! Call for quote and mention this ad for 35% off! Assay supplies, concentrators, impact mills, technical books (for the beginner to the advanced mill man), & more! Call for our free catalog or visit us online! Check out their website for information on wave tables. PO Box 1913, Sandy OR 97055 Phone: 503 826-9330 • 800 624-1511 sales@actionmining.com • www.actionmining.com
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